Place

Patee House Museum

A very large red-brick multi-storied building on the corner of a city street.
Visit the Patee House Museum.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts
Location:
1202 Penn St, Saint Joseph, MO 64503
Significance:
Served as the Eastern Headquarters for the Pony Express.
Designation:
National Historic Landmark

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Pony Express Missouri No. 2 "Eastern Headquarters" Home Station
The 140-room Patee House, built by John Patee in 1858, was recognized at that time as the most luxurious hotel west of the Mississippi River. In 1860, Russell, Majors, & Waddell established the St. Joseph offices of the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company on the first floor of the hotel.

Here, on April 3, 1860, Mayor M. Jeff Thompson gave a rousing address to the excited crowd before the first pony-rider headed west:


"This is a great day in the history of St. Joseph. For more than a decade she has been the portal through which passed the wagon trains for the great west. . . .Now she is to become the connecting link between the extremes of the continents. For the first time in the history of America, mail will go by an overland route from east to west. . . . Citizens of St. Joseph, I bid you three cheers for the Pony Express!"

The original four-story brick structure, now 140 years old, still stands at the corner of 12th and Penn Streets and houses a museum of communications and transportation, which includes the restored Pony Express office.

The mission of the Pony Express Historical Association is to interpret the early history and development of St. Joseph, from the days of the Pony Express and Jesse James to the 1920s, using authentic artifacts in the buildings where these events actually occurred.

Site Information

Location (1202 Penn St, Saint Joseph, MO 64503)

Safety Considerations

More Site Information

Pony Express National Historic Trail

California National Historic Trail



 

California National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail

Last updated: June 14, 2024